TV Recap: Project Runway - Season Five, Episode Eleven - Page 5

‘Kenley Spears’ strikes a rock and roll pose behind the scrim. She struts down the runway and looks like sex on a plate. Jerell has designed a black fitted mini dress with huge cut out panels (a gownless evening strap, as Groucho Marx once said). The panels have fishnet fabric sewn into them. This makes most of the dress see-through. Jerell has covered Kenley’s bustline with silver fabric that looks somewhere between sequins and studs. The silver fabric also comprises a high neck collar atop the fishnet top. Kenley is styled with chunky plastic black or blue bangles on one wrist, and knee length black boots. Her hair is swinging long and loose, not like her usual prim 1950s look at all. In closeup we can see a slight purple shrug vest, and large dark sunglasses perched atop her head. Jerell thinks Kenley looks like “the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls.” The back of the dress is mostly fishnet (all but the rear end) and the purple shrug vest does not even cover her shoulder blades. LL Cool J is scribbling a mile a minute on his score card.

Next, someone bends their arms akimbo behind the scrim. Leanne rounds the corner in her bizarre Kenley Special. The music playing is something like one might hear at a circus sideshow. How can I describe this look? There are dark high waisted jeans, that would not even qualify as ‘mom jeans’. They are very fitted, and although Leanne is quite slim, this silhouette makes anyone look like a pear. The crotch hangs low, the zipper is crooked, and there are huge gold buttons at the waistline. There is a floral satin blouse of Kenley’s usual preference, a necklace with huge gold links, a shrunken jacket that seems made of Naugahyde. The earrings are like a string of huge gold coins. Leanne carries an enormous handbag that seems bedazzled with seashells. There are metallic high heeled sandals. This look is Miami Granny circa 1960, not modern hip hop. Not hip hop of any year. Even Leanne’s hair needs help: it looks like Cameron Diaz’ hairdo in Something About Mary the second it fell flat. Kenley whines in her vlog that “Leanne is not selling my look.” Honey, gold bullion giveaways couldn’t sell your look. LL Cool J appears to giggle as Leanne exits.

Ha! Punk Suede is up next. Korto has designed this look. She’s made him some baggy pants that have large orangey splotches on them and a grey sleeveless slouchy top. The top has dark strips of jagged fabric sewn down the front. There is a black leather belt with silver studs hanging low on Suede’s hips. A thick silver chain hangs from the belt. Silver chains also are draped across Suede’s shirt. Still more silver chains are threaded into Xs along one shoulder. For styling, Suede’s got multi-colored extensions woven in which hang over part of his face. The other side of his hair is still bleached and short. His makeup seems more goth than punk. Michael Kors smiles, clearly amused. Suede hams it up out there, giving a sneer and a ‘rock and roll devil horn’ double handed salute as he turns on the runway. “When Suede gets up there, he’s totally gone,” Korto wonders aloud in her vlog. As he walks away, one sees there are still more chains draped across the back of his pants. It seems artful and yet is believable as if a person could have done this at home, which is how punk originated: In his autobiography, “Johnny Rotten” says he used safety pins to hold his clothes together because he couldn’t afford new ones. Punk began with people making do with what they had. Punk Suede could have bought a length of chain and done all this draping at home, so to me this outfit is successful.

Article Author: Brandy

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